Republicans have accused Democrats of seeking to delay the confirmation of Mr Kavanaugh in the hope that they will make gains in the mid-term elections in November and stop his appointment altogether.

What are the allegations?

Last week Professor Christine Blasey Ford testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Mr Kavanaugh, 53, and another man had assaulted her when they were teenagers in the 1980s.

She said Mr Kavanaugh was drunk and had pinned her on to a bed, tried to remove her clothing and put his hand over her mouth when she screamed.

Another woman, Deborah Ramirez, has accused Mr Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her during a drinking game when they were students at Yale University in the 1980s.

After Prof Ford’s testimony, the Senate panel approved Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination but asked for the FBI to conduct further inquiry before the full Senate voted on his appointment to America’s top court.

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Media captionChristine Blasey Ford said she was “100%” sure Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her

However the FBI did not examine allegations made by a third woman, Julie Swetnick, that Mr Kavanaugh was involved in the drugging and sexual assault of girls at house parties in the 1980s. He has described Ms Swetnick’s allegation as a “joke”.

What’s in the report?

The report contains summaries of interviews that the FBI has conducted and which the White House has forwarded to the Senate. It is not meant to have the form of a conclusion or recommendation.

Senators have been told not to reveal what the report says, but senators have already began to describe it’s findings.

The report is in paper format only and no copies will be made. It is being held in a secure room in the basement of the Capitol building, known as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or “Skif”.

Investigators spoke to Ms Ramirez for more than two hours on Sunday, and she provided a list of more than 20 possible witnesses. However, her lawyer has complained that the FBI has not contacted any of them.

Lawyers for his first accuser, Prof Ford, also said that she had not been contacted by the agency.

Democrats have raised concerns that the investigation has been too narrow in scope, and that key witnesses have been omitted.

Will Kavanaugh be confirmed?

The party has only a 51-49 Senate majority. That means that if all Democrats vote against confirming Judge Kavanaugh, Republicans can only afford one defection – since in a tie, Vice-President Mike Pence would get the casting vote.

Three Republican senators – Jeff Flake, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski – are being closely watched, as they have not yet said how they will vote.

The harsh and unfair treatment of Judge Brett Kavanaugh is having an incredible upward impact on voters. The PEOPLE get it far better than the politicians. Most importantly, this great life cannot be ruined by mean & despicable Democrats and totally uncorroborated allegations!

In contrast to the president’s enthusiasm, a coalition of US Christian churches with 40 million worshippers has urged Mr Kavanaugh to withdraw his nomination.

The National Council of Churches said in a statement that he had shown “extreme partisan bias” during his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and lacked the temperament to be a Supreme Court judge.

“We have differing views about the other qualifications of Judge Kavanaugh. But we are united… in believing that [during the Senate hearing] he did not display the impartiality and judicial temperament requisite to sit on the highest court of our land,” the letter said.

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